New in the Literature: Postthrombotic Syndrome (CMAJ. 2011;183:37-44)

As exercise training may improve post-thrombotic syndrome, it would be feasible to definitively evaluate exercise training as a treatment for postthrombotic syndrome in a large multicenter trial, say authors of an article published in the January issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

Patients were randomized to receive exercise training (a 6-month trainer-supervised program) or control treatment (an education session with monthly phone follow-ups). Levels of eligibility, consent, adherence, and retention were used as indicators of study feasibility. Primary outcomes were changed from baseline to 6 months in venous disease-specific quality of life (as measured using the Venous Insufficiency Epidemiological and Economic Study Quality of Life [VEINES-QOL] questionnaire) and severity of postthrombotic syndrome (as measured by scores on the Villalta scale) in the exercise training group versus the control group, assessed by t tests. Secondary outcomes were change in generic quality of life (as measured using the Short-Form Health Survey-36 [SF-36] questionnaire), category of severity of postthrombotic syndrome, leg strength, leg flexibility, and time on treadmill.